City of Somerville
COVID-19 Health & Safety Plan (HASP) - Outdoor & Indoor Dining
See also: City of Somerville COVID-19 Outdoor Seating Guidelines.
The public has an expectation and a right to be safe while dining outdoors and indoors at restaurants.
Restaurateurs have a responsibility to ensure their attendees the safest environment practicable and to adopt
a Health & Safety Plan (HASP) to address the current COVID 19 pandemic and to guard against the spread
of the virus. This HASP must be submitted to the City of Somerville before the granting of any licenses and
before opening for outdoor and indoor dining. The HASP is one piece of a consolidated outdoor dining
licensing process that will require only one approval from the City’s Licensing Commission. The HASP is
required to be submitted for indoor and outdoor operations.
To be approved by the Licensing Commission for a new Outdoor Seating License you must:
1. Complete a State COVID-19 Control plan
2. Apply for an Outdoor Seating Business License on Citizen Serve, and include as attachments:
A completed copy of this Health & Safety Plan
A Socially Distant Seating Layout that complies with the City’s COVID-19 Outdoor Seating
Guidelines. (If you will allow dogs, show the location of the dog area)
Your Workers’ Compensation Insurance Affidavit (download the form when you apply).
If you are applying for an A-frame sign, a photo or rendering of the sign.
A City and County Licenses and Permits Bond in the amount of $5,000, or a Certificate of
Insurance showing the City of Somerville as an Additional Insured on your business liability
insurance.
If you already hold an existing Outdoor Seating License, you must:
1. Complete a State COVID-19 Control plan
2. Apply for a Licensing Commission License Amendment on Citizen Serve, and include as attachments:
A completed copy of this Health & Safety Plan
A Socially Distant Seating Layout that complies with the City’s COVID-19 Outdoor Seating
Guidelines. (If you will allow dogs, show the location of the dog area)
To be approved for indoor service, you must:
1. Complete a State COVID-19 Control plan and follow all of the State COVID-19 workplace safety
standards.
2. Complete this Health & Safety Plan.
3. Complete a Socially Distant Seating Layout for indoors than complies with the State COVID-19
workplace safety standards and Somerville specific safety standards (below in Section Three).
4. Submit a copy of these documents through Citizen Serve as an attachment to your revised
Food Establishment License.
You may begin indoor operations after submittal. Print out a copy of these documents and
keep them available on premises.
SECTION ONE: Business Information
Contact Name:
Business Name:
Business Address:
Phone Number:
Email Address:
Which of the following approved licenses do you currently hold? (check all that apply)
Restaurant (with alcohol) - License Number: ____________
Common Victualer (restaurant without alcohol) - License Number: ____________
Farmer Pourer - License Number: ____________
Inn (with alcohol) - License Number: ____________
Inn (without alcohol) - License Number: ____________
Private Club (with alcohol) - License Number: ____________
Private Club (without alcohol) - License Number: ____________
SECTION TWO: Compliance with State COVID-19 Safety Standards
Checklist
Have you completed a State COVID-19 Control plan? If yes, please make sure to have it available on
premise for inspections.
Is your business in compliance with State COVID-19 workplace safety standards?
Narrative
Please describe in detail how your business is meeting the state COVID-19 workplace safety standards
for Social Distancing, Hygiene Protocols, Staffing & Operations, and Cleaning & Disinfecting:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Certification
By signing below, I ___________________________ certify that I have completed a State COVID-19 Control
(print name)
Plan and that my business is in compliance with all of the State COVID-19 workplace safety standards
__________________________________ __________________
Signature Date
SECTION THREE: Compliance with Somerville Specific COVID-19 Safety Standards
City staff and the Somerville Restaurant Reopening Working Group reviewed the State COVID-19 workplace
safety standards in detail and developed the following list of additional, clarified, or strengthened safety
standards that will apply to all restaurants in Somerville. The standards below are required in addition to all
of the state standards. Check each box to indicate that you understand and have implemented each standard,
describe how you will implement each standard, and sign the certification at the bottom.
Checklist: Social Distancing
Table spacing
A minimum 6-foot distance must be maintained between people and between tables. Tables and
people can be closer together if you have a shield barrier between tables, however compliance with
the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB)
standards for clear routes is still required. The shield barrier must reach 6ft in height off the floor in
order to apply.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Take-out in combination with in-person dining
A 6-foot distance must be maintained from person to person with dining customers as well as take-out
customers. Face coverings are required for all customers regardless of dine-in (see “Face Coverings”
below) or take-out service.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Social distancing in worker common areas:
6-foot distancing must be maintained for all person to person interaction, restaurant employees
included. All employees are required to wear face coverings at all times. Distance markers and arrows
are suggested to maintain flow.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Maximum bathroom occupancy
Maximum bathroom occupancy is equal to the number of sinks available inside the bathroom. Signs
outside of bathrooms should indicate maximum occupancy.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Face Coverings
Customers must wear masks until after food and beverages arrives and servers leave the table.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Checklist: Hygiene Protocols
Tablecloths
Tablecloths are not permitted.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Checklist: Staffing & Operations
Employee training
Employees must complete the free ServSafe Reopening Guidance: COVID-19 Precautions course that
to ensure the safety of guests and staff, available at: www.servsafe.com/Landing-Pages/Free-Courses
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Employee shift tracking
Restaurants must keep a log of employee shift days and times to ensure that contact tracing can take
place in the event of a positive case of COVID-19. The employee log must be maintained for the
previous four weeks and be available upon request by City or Commonwealth health officials.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Enable Customer Contact Tracing
When taking reservations or when seating walk-in customers, restaurants must record a name and
telephone number of at least one person in each party to ensure that contract tracing can take place in
the event of a positive case of COVID-19. The customer log must be maintained for the previous four
weeks of customers and be available upon request by City or Commonwealth health officials.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Managing Customer Lines
Restaurants must ensure that crowding does not occur outside of their restaurants. Any customer lines
must be actively managed to maintain 6 foot distances between all persons, waiting or passing by.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Checklist: Cleaning & Disinfecting
Maintaining a Cleaning Log
Restaurants must keep cleaning logs that include the date, time, and scope of each cleaning. The
cleaning log must be maintained for the previous four weeks and be available upon request by City or
Commonwealth health officials.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Reopening after a Positive COVID-19 Case
As specified in the State Guidelines, in the event of a presumptive or actual positive COVID-19 case of
a worker, patron, or vendor, the restaurant must be immediately shut down for 24 hours and then must
be cleaned and disinfected in accordance with current CDC guidance before re-opening.
The Inspectional Services Department (ISD) will inspect the business prior to reopening.
Restaurants must submit a receipt for cleaning to ISD at time of inspection.
Please describe how you will meet this requirement:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Certification
By signing below, I ___________________________ certify that my business is in compliance with all of the
(print name)
above Somerville specific workplace safety standards.
__________________________________ __________________
Signature Date